IQ: Taking warmongering to space

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Those who thought that Star Wars was a passing fancy that ended when Ronald Reagan left office need to think again. The program -- whose headquarters are right here in Colorado Springs -- has experienced renewed zeal from the Bush administration and, notably, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Critics contend that the United States is trying to achieve global dominance by taking warmongering to space, a place the military has never gone before.

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Kevin ConnollyRetired military Cragmoor

How will terrorism strike the U.S. next? In some way that takes advantage of our freedoms. Probably like how it's done in the Middle East, or in some way similar to Sept. 11.

Will Star Wars deter terrorism? Terrorism by definition is low-tech and local. Star Wars has no bearing whatsoever on that.

Is Star Wars an offensive program being promoted in defensive clothing? It's entirely defensive in nature. It needs something in-bound to kick in. It requires something sent our way to shoot down.

Is this an attempt to militarize space and guarantee U.S. superiority? We already have superiority. If we wanted, we could take anything from anybody. But that's not in our nature.

Does it make you uneasy to know that we live at absolute ground zero in the event of nuclear exchange? We've been that for at least 20 to 30 years.

How many billions we should pump into this to see if it works? We can't put a price tag on freedom. It will keep us from being kidnapped by someone putting a threat over our heads -- like the North Koreans.

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Heidi McClureRecent dot-com layoff, Briargate

How will terrorists strike next? Probably by hitting the food or water supply.

Will Star Wars deter terrorism? It can't. Terrorists are low-tech and resourceful. It won't make us any safer against that.

Will it put Colorado Springs at ground zero? We already are. From my yard I can see the Air Force Academy and Cheyenne Mountain. We have five military bases here.

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Jack WelkWoodland Park Sales consultant

Is Star Wars ultimately offensive or defensive? I think it originated as a defensive thing, but you know it'll eventually be used for offensive purposes. It's too tempting. We could strike from above while sitting in a chair in some war room. It would make most of the world helpless against us. It would absolutely guarantee U.S. world dominance.

Does it give you pause that it would be headquartered at Peterson Air Force base? NORAD, the Air Force Academy, Fort Carson -- Colorado Springs is already military Club Med. This is not the place you want to be in a nuclear exchange.

How much should we be willing to spend on Star Wars? I have no idea, but it should never cut into programs like education, Social Security and Medicare. Ways to take care of people should have precedence over ways to eliminate people more efficiently and massively.